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Scottish DRS will ‘decimate’ small waste firms, RMAS warns

The Resource Management Association Scotland (RMAS) has criticised Circularity Scotland for appointing “US-owned corporation” Biffa as the sole logistics provider for the deposit return scheme (DRS).

DRS
Defra said it will "continue to consider" how the different schemes will interact (picture: Shutterstock)

RMAS, which represents Scotland’s SME resource and waste management companies, said the decision to appoint a single, centralised contractor will “decimate” smaller waste operators.

This is because, RMAS says, hospitality businesses currently serviced by multiple operators across the Scottish waste management sector will have “no alternative but to accept Biffa’s services for the collection of all qualifying drinks containers”.

The group has today called for the DRS to be “realigned and rolled out in tandem with schemes being planned in England and Northern Ireland”.

It says the scheme could also be digitalised to help lower carbon emissions and alleviate many of the financial and administrative concerns being raised by smaller retailers.

Biffa secured a 10-year contract in July 2022 to provide logistics, sorting and counting services for the Scottish DRS. It is investing £80 million in new sorting and counting facilities for the material (see letsrecycle.com story).

The Scottish DRS has been criticised in recent weeks by some businesses, but it does have its supporters too. The Marine Conservation Society has backed the system, as has the British Soft Drinks Association and Zero Waste Scotland.

Both Biffa and Circularity Scotland issued statements in response to the claims from RMAS, which can be read here.

‘Flawed’

Drew Murdoch, chair of RMAS, explained that while the body is fully behind the aims and intentions of the DRS, the proposed scheme is badly flawed.

He said: “The decision to appoint a single contractor gives an unfair market advantage to one large operator. This goes against assurances we were given by Circularity Scotland and Biffa that opportunities to utilise existing infrastructure and collection services would be fully explored.

Drew Murdoch, chair of RMAS

“The Scottish Government has so far missed an opportunity to engage with our sector, but we are still keen to support the design of a more appropriate scheme which optimises existing recycling infrastructure as well as related logistics and collections networks. We now call on the new First Minister to put the brakes on the planned launch once they are elected later this month.”

MSPs

The association has also managed to secure the backing of a string of MPs in a bid to persuade the Scottish government to change course and follow England and Northern Ireland in excluding glass.

A cross-party group of MSPs, which includes former minister Fergus Ewing; fellow SNP colleague Christine Grahame; Labour’s Claire Baker; Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur; and Conservative Maurice Golden, is backing RMAS in calling for a rethink on the single contract approach in addition to adopting an evidence-based approach to the launch of the scheme.

SNP MSP Fergus Ewing, who has been a vocal critic of the scheme, said: “The DRS will cause unnecessary upheaval to businesses, especially within this economically challenging environment.

“As well as adversely impacting the wider waste management sector, I share the RMAS concerns that the appointment of a large, single contractor may also be at odds with the Scottish Government’s National Economic Transformation Strategy where the focus is on using existing providers at local level across Scotland to address the threat of climate change.”

I share the RMAS concerns

  • Fergus Ewing, SNP

Biffa 

RMAS explained that Biffa will be responsible for collecting qualifying drinks containers from return points and managing bulking and counting centres where materials will be processed for recycling.

The association has also accused Circularity Scotland and Biffa of failing to meet a pledge to explore opportunities to utilise the sector’s existing infrastructure, collection services and networks to operate the DRS. RMAS has also raised concerns that the move could result in an increase in long haul collections creating higher carbon emissions.

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